The Ding Dong debate

by Nicole Weston, Posted Apr 19th 2006 @ 12:25PM

Snack cakes are a hot-button issue for a lot of people, especially if the controversy over snackable wedding cakes is any indication. They represent a classic comfort for as most people had them during childhood. Even if your parents kept them out of the house and out of your lunchbox, chances are good that you were able to indulge once in a while at the home of a friend. From Twinkies to jam-filled krimpets, everyone has a favorite. If I had to guess, though, I would say that any kind of cream-filled chocolate cupcake is the favorite for most people.

Ding Dongs and Ring Dings are actually the same thing: a chocolate covered, cream-filled cupcake. Though sold under different brand names, Hostess and Drake's, respectively, they are produced by the same company. Hostess also sells their Ding Dongs as King Dons in some states, where there was a competitor with a similar name and they wanted to avoid confusion. The when the competitor went out of business, they tried to return to selling only Ding Dongs, but there was such an outcry, that they kept the King name. Little Debbie also makes a similar product, called a Devil Square and Tastykake makes a cream-filled chocolate cupcake, though only their Kandy Kakes are fully covered in chocolate, not their cupcakes.

Some people swear that they can taste the difference between these products, but I think that it's unlikely. Packaging doesn't impart any flavor into the cake within. Personally, I think that Tastykake makes the best of the bunch, though I'll take a Butterscotch Krimpet over a cream-filled cupcake any day.

Filed Under: Pop Food, Raves & Reviews, Ingredients
Tags: america, cake, childhood, chocolate, comfort food, devil square, ding dong, DingDong, hostess, kandy kakes, king dons, little debbies, name, names, packed, pop food, ring ding, snack, snack cake, snack food, SnackFood, taste test, tastykake, treat

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

4-20-2006 @12:12AM yatesy said... Anyting made by Tastykake is quality. You can taste how fresh it is because they only keep them on the shelves for so long. Hostess and Drake's have no time table really, and you can ttoally tell the difference. Tastykake rocks my world!
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4-20-2006 @3:08PM John G. said... Unless I've got it wrong, your history is a little muddled. As I understood it, *Drake* was the company that complained about the name "Ding Dong" and its similarity to "Ring Ding." When Hostess took over making Drake's cakes, the conflict went away.

I also must say that calling Ring Dings and Ding Dongs "the same thing" is like calling a Honda and a BMW the same thing because they're both cars. I grew up eating Ding Dongs, but Rings Dings are much better.
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5-03-2006 @12:59AM David said... They may be owned by the same company but they're not baked in the same factories. Drakes happen to be Kosher and certified by the OU and Hostess is not.

For your information - there are Kosher foodies in the world!
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